When the Grays Harbor Food Bank freezer stopped working, Wilma and Bob O'Day, food bank coordinators, weren't sure how they would find the money for a new one.
But even as they were puzzling about what to do next, God was already at work in the community with a solution.
Penny Palolo, a local church member, cares for Dorothy Lewis. Lewis' husband, who enjoyed fishing, had a freezer he used for the fish he caught. After his death, Lewis announced one day to Palolo, "I must do something about that freezer, it's just sitting in the garage."
Palolo mentioned the Adventist Food Bank's need of a new freezer. Lewis remembered how the church members had brought her flowers and a sympathy card after her husband's death. She was touched by their kindness, and decided to not only donate the old freezer, but to also donate a brand-new freezer.
Today, the food bank has five refrigerators and seven freezers, all generously donated. Food bank staff are convinced now more than ever that God's promise of providing "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" is true.
The food bank opened in 1998 under the direction of John Hughes, it has steadily grown to help an average of 275 families every month.
The church members prayed for one freezer, but God provided seven. From left: Dorothy Lewis, who donated a freezer; Bob O'Day, food bank coordinator; Penny Palolo, a church member; and Wilma O'Day, food bank coordinator.
